


Stepping Up

by Eternal Scribe (Shadowcat)



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-31
Updated: 2010-12-31
Packaged: 2017-10-14 06:59:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat/pseuds/Eternal%20Scribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Since one broke my neck and one keeps breaking my sister, I really don't give a damn what they like or don't like."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stepping Up

"I want you to teach me to hunt."

Alaric blinked at the young man on his front step. "Excuse me?"

Jeremy came in and shut the door. "I said, I want you to teach me to hunt and to fight back."

"Jeremy, I don't think --"

"Look. I'm Elena's brother. Do you think it has been _easy_ for me to see what she's been going through lately and to see her keep getting hurt? It's not."

"This isn't something that you should jump into lightly. It's not the kind of life that Jenna or Elena would want for you."

"Maybe not. However, it's the kind of thing I need to do if they're going to be safe. We shouldn't always be relying on Stefan or Damon to help her. _I_ shouldn't be allowing them to be the only ones to help her." Jeremy gave him a firm look. "Jenna has you and I respect that, but if you take the vampires out of the picture, then I am all Elena has."

"What about Bonnie or Caroline?" Alaric asked. He couldn't disagree with Jeremy's reasons for wanting to do this, but he could try to stall him since Jenna would kill them both if he agreed to this.

"Bonnie's a witch and Caroline's a vampire," Jeremy said patiently. "Yes, they are her best friends, but I am her brother, Alaric. She's my responsibility."

Alaric rubbed a hand over his face. "Somehow, I don't think Elena would appreciate you referring to her as a responsibility."

"Sometimes Elena prefers things that aren't good for her," her brother said dryly. "Haven't we seen what happens when we do things her way? People die. She gets hurt. Jenna develops an unhealthy relationship with her knife. Elena bleeds. People die. Elena gets kidnapped." He raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to go on?"

"Damon and Stefan will probably hate this idea, you realize."

"Since one broke my neck and one keeps breaking my sister, I really don't give a damn what they like or don't like."

"Jeremy -"

"Look, I know that you know people. There's no way that you have taught yourself all of this stuff without any help. If you won't help me then I will just keep looking until I find somebody that will."

"Damn you. You can be a manipulative little bastard, you know that?"

"She's my sister, Alaric. I'm tired of watching her cry and seeing fear in her eyes. I'm tired of seeing her bleed and I am so tired of going to bed at night and wondering if she's going to be there safe the next morning." His eyes were hard as he met those of Alaric. "She tried to take care of me and protect me after our parents were killed and she still feels guilty that she survived that. I was a shitty brother for awhile and she _still_ tried to take care of me. I am not going to let her end up dead because there was no one around to fight for her."

Alaric let out a breath and shook his head. "I don't know, Jeremy. Once you start on something like this, you can't really ever go back to the person you were before."

"Open your eyes, Alaric," Jeremy snapped. "There's already no going back for me -- or for any of us. Too much has happened and none of your students that have experienced these things or my aunt can ever go back to how we were before." Jeremy sighed. "Look, Jenna and Elena have been the strong ones all along. Don't you think they both deserve someone there to be strong for them now?"

The muttered curse that Alaric responded with as he reached for his cell phone was probably something very nasty. Jeremy relaxed his shoulders slightly because he knew with the dialing on the phone that he had won this fight. He dropped down to the sofa as he listened to Alaric.

"Hey Xander, it's Alaric. I need a favor..."


End file.
